New Jersey officials celebrated the groundbreaking of the next critical phase of the new Raritan River Bridge on the NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line.
The groundbreaking kicks off construction and installation of the center span that lifts vertically to allow for marine traffic to pass underneath and will replace the current 117-year-old swing bridge, which rotates open. The bridge connects rail traffic between Perth Amboy and South Amboy across the Raritan River.
The replacement bridge will be a vertical lift bridge providing a new two-track movable span across the Raritan River, slightly offset from the original alignment and linking back to the existing NJCL mainline tracks at its northern and southern ends.
The current bridge has been in service since 1908 and was not designed to withstand lateral forces due to ocean surges. The bridge suffered significant damage during Superstorm Sandy, including movement of the bridge deck out of its normal alignment due to ocean surges against the bridge superstructure and the impact of large, wave-borne debris bearing against the bridge girders.
After the storm passed, inspections revealed the extent of the damage, and train services and marine vessel operations were suspended until repairs could be made, resulting in no train service for three weeks. Superstorm Sandy clearly demonstrated the vulnerability of the bridge to extreme weather events.
The construction contract was awarded to Skanska Koch, Inc. of Carteret, New Jersey, in the amount not to exceed $444,380,524, plus five percent for contingencies for the construction of the lift bridge and flanking spans, communication, signals, overhead catenary and other associated site work.
The approaches to the new bridge, awarded under a separate contract in June 2020, are currently nearing completion. The overall replacement project is being funded in part through a grant of more than $446 million from the Federal Transit Administration.
Under a separate authorization, NJ Transit repaired the supporting piers of the current bridge to allow its continued use while a new bridge was designed and built.
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